JediMaster

I played quite a lot of F2 in MP, the crazy AG radar in the Flanker notwithstanding. I can't believe ED still hasn't given us the 29K again. We've had the Su-33 in every release since F2, while the K showed up in 2.5 and then disappeared even though we had the land based versions in LOMAC and on. Besides, the K is a better match against a C Hornet then the 33 is anyway. The 33 is more like an F-14. Bring back the K! Bring back the K! Bring back the K! Bring back the K! You know, if I sit here chanting by myself it looks REAL weird...

That MS dll error makes me think you maybe need to rerun the redists that come with DCS. Go to the /distr directory in DCS and rerun vcredist_x64 and vc2010redist_x64 and maybe DXSETUP in the DirectX folder too. Can't hurt.

Not that it would work. I've never seen a film to TV effect to match the reality of that like the Russian footage was. Besides, there's that issue of your eyes having to focus to infinity to see out a window, and a TV image would be a LOT closer. Also, I can't see paying whatever an 84" UHD TV costs...$10k or so? Just for a practical joke? It's a funny commercial, but I think the setup to make it look like it was real done was unnecessary and actually ruins it. Not believable. Better way: cut out the setup, just show one person coming in for the interview, and after it's over show it's the TV instead of a window. Cut it down to about 45s and it would be perfect. The rest is too contrived.

I liked both of them fine, but I thought they were overhyped a bit by some people. This seems to inevitably happen. I see a film and think it's ok, others think it's the best ever. I see another film I think isn't very good, and others say it's the worst abomination to grace the screen. I guess I just don't buy into the hyperbole.

In either case, you're watching grown men playing with balls.

The point is that TK has made life harder for the modders, but not for the players. Not only does SF2 merged now offer more than SF2 did on release, I'd say it works better. The flipside is mods are becoming harder and harder to update for patches, so you have two choices: one, make separate installs for mods and new stock content like DLCs...but if you want your low clouds and your latest DLC planes in one install you're SOL. Or two, just give it up. Now personally, I don't know that TK's efforts at curbing people ripping off his stuff has had any real effect. For every theoretical loss prevention he accomplished, I think he alienated more users dedicated to using mods to the point where they stopped buying his stuff. Gaining one new customer at the expense of 5 existing ones is not a good plan, but I think that's the unintended consequence of his actions. I would say I think some people here are overly wedded to certain mods, so that when a patch comes along that breaks or disables it from working they take it very personally. I've never been THAT into it, all I've ever done is add planes and other objects and terrains. If they work and look good, I keep them, if something breaks them, I try and .ini edit but if that fails I dump them. Being more laid back about it has meant I've never felt "betrayed" by TK. I HAVE felt disappointed that SF2:NA wasn't more than it was after the long delays, and that since then we've had just a bunch of DLCs, about 1/2 of which was actually really good and the rest was unnecessary. I was certain when NA came out that now, 18 months later, we'd have Exp 3 already and he'd have been talking about his next full title after NA. Whether a Korean War title or something else like possibly embracing farther into the 80s, I can't say, but something. I'm truly sorry TK has had all these financial difficulties with his stuff, especially as it seems he's right back where he started a decade ago...but I honestly think it's partly his fault. Programming and products aside, his business model/sense has at times seemed to sabotage him more than help him...and while you can argue the technical stuff with him and he'll listen if you have a valid point, there's no convincing him his business acumen isn't as good as it needs to be. One final note, that I won't bother posting over at TW's site because I feel it wouldn't matter anyway: it's time for SF to go on Steam. I don't care if you like Steam or not, it has exposure. Even if Valve takes half, his stuff is now getting pretty old and if he could pick up a bunch of new customers buying titles for $10 each that previously would never have seen his stuff, what does he have to lose? Many devs have posted their results of being on Steam especially during Steam sales revealing that at a 50% discount their sales would jump several HUNDRED percent. Wouldn't it be better to sell 100,000 copies of his SF2 titles at $10-15 each than 10,000 at $30? Even 50,000 would be a massive improvement, and how many Steam users have no idea TW exists? Just IMO.

One is for MP only, the other brings you to the main menu where there is also an MP option. It's been like that since Black Shark 1.

At low alt, if the Tomcat is below you, it would work. Other than that, not really. Anyway, you're looking at the reason all the USN 14's were chopped up.

No, they'll officially be Virginauts. I'm sure they'll wear the title with pride.

Underwater in the Bahamas of course.

Something I saw on the KS page I didn't see in the PR: OLEG MADDOX Did he actually agree to return to the WWII sim world with this? If he's going to have a major level of involvement, more than his token final CloD contributions, then I think they have a major shot at recapturing the glory. Deservedly or not, Luthier's rep was hurt by CloD. Oleg's was as well, mostly for letting people believe he worked on it longer than he really did so as not to hurt CloD's sales pre-release apparently. It looked a bit like blatant manipulation which was not well received (again, I'm not talking facts here, I'm talking appearance which in PR is often more important than facts). But if Oleg is taking an active role in this, even if he's not running the show, then 777 has a real contender on its hands instead of running for the "top next gen WWII sim" title unopposed. Again, it's possibly appearance trumping reality here, but this is a major point.

They could be done with Jet Thunder 2 by now if they'd done it then.

The engine wasn't designed to be as open as TK's was for SF. It's just how it is. I would LOVE to be able to take planes made for SF1/2 and port them into DCS, even if they're not flyable but just targets (because DCS needs more AI-only planes too), but that's not what DCS World allows. So for variety and various eras I'll be keeping SF2 and for current stuff I'll be flying DCS. By picking 1982 as his official end date TK really did position himself right before DCS/LOMAC. And by starting post-WWII he positioned himself after the Il-2s and what not that are out there (our modders' efforts to make WWII versions notwithstanding).

Where's the DCS one already?!? Grrrr.....

I'm thinking it might fill Jane's WWII Fighters shoes before EAW...seeing as EAW had the BoB and the entire Western Euro war from 43-45. The narrow focus does put it in more direct competition with BoS, which focuses on Stalingrad while Jane's WWIIF focused on the Battle of the Bulge.

Wow, I bet he never expected to live to 97 with a life like that!

It's possible EA imported the other email addresses from an older database. Did you use those with EA.com? Or maybe something with BF or MOH?

I think I want to know more about this part. It's "the last major release"? So, F/A-18C comes out first? They're moving on to a DCS World 2 after this? This is separate from DCS World somehow? That one paragraph just opened a HUGE can of beans that I imagine Matt will be wading through for some time to come until they release a clearer roadmap.

I've never really looked into it, but with all the mandatory appeals and jazz, I'm not sure that a life sentence costs more than a death sentence anymore. The money spent by the lawyers and judges and others to prove/disprove suitability for execution is much higher than just room and board in a cell. So unless the death sentence is expedited and the con is in their 20s and will live till their 70s, it's possible a life sentence is cheaper nowadays.

Amen to that. I would think the best time would be in high school. After all, if you enlist in the military, it will be the year after graduation. As such, I don't think people can make the BS "they're too young" argument...when would you like them to wait till? Besides, you don't need live ammo to teach gun safety. It could be taught in class with occasional field trips to firing ranges for practical experience and would get around the thorny "no guns on school grounds" issue.

I don't think the A model could sustain 7-8. It just didn't have the engines for that. Instantaneous, sure, but to sustain that many in a turn you need some power behind you.

I think you're misreading what they said. The D was the "definitive" initial variant, which means it was the first version to be produced and used in large numbers. Many of the previous ones went into production, but they were made in insignificant numbers.

Someone needs to start thinking outside the box, because the two simple stances of "no one should have any because of a bad few" (let's allow the crazies to ruin it for everyone) and "if everyone had one the bad few wouldn't try it" (when of course they still would because they're not criminals, they're crazy) will never meet. While I'm sure there are "purists" who would argue any such mod to an existing gun ruins its value to collectors blah blah blah, the upside is allowing the legal owner of the gun full access while denying the illegal ones is the goal. Since it's not the NRA members that are out robbing stores or shooting up schools, it's of course ridiculous to punish them. The problem is they haven't put forth any plan themselves that would improve things. If simple deterrence really worked...then why do people still shoot at cops? After all, everyone KNOWS they're armed! Same with the freak at the Army base. He was certainly under no delusions that there wouldn't be an armed response, but he did it anyway...yet even on a military base most soldiers don't walk around carrying an M-16 or even a sidearm. If trained soldiers don't do it, to think the general public should (with less or even no training) is certainly not wise. I would imagine an increase in injuries and possibly deaths from accidental discharges that would be nontrivial. I don't know if something like a DNA/palm lock is really workable right now, let alone how easily one could be defeated. I'm sure if someone stole it and took it back to a workshop there would be a way of removing it, but I would imagine it would eliminate a large number of problems from people who steal a gun and use it shortly thereafter. I think both sides need to start thinking along these lines.

Oh, wow, orbital arty? Significant increase in distance then! Also would look pretty cool, like the Autobots arriving in Earth in the first Transformers film.

Considering 90%+ of flight time is training/peacetime work, it makes sense. In war, max limits are allowed. There's no "better not break 6g trying to dodge this missile or there could be a lengthy post-flight inspection!" If you allow max limits for all flight time, the planes wear out faster. It's just math.